[Groop]Saint Sergio
Gary Grossmann
grossfam@olywa.net
Sun, 9 Feb 2003 15:34:06 -0800
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Hi Folks!
For those of you having trouble hooking up to the article, here it is. =
Also, for no good reason whatsoever, here is a link to a short bio of St =
Francis Xavier. -Gary G. =20
VENTURA COUNTY
A Religious Experience for Local Models
Inspiration is found close to home for faces of saints depicted in =
tapestries created by an Ojai artist for the new Los Angeles cathedral.
By David Kelly
Times Staff Writer
February 7 2003
Being friends with Ojai artist John Nava has its rewards. For Gerd Koch, =
it meant that his deeply lined, expressive face was put on a =
20-foot-high image of St. Nicholas and hung in the enormous new =
cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.
Barring some catastrophe, Koch's saintly visage will likely stare down =
from the walls of Our Lady of the Angels for 500 years.
"I was overwhelmed," said Koch, 74, co-founder of Studio Channel Islands =
Art Center at Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo. "It gives you =
shivers to see yourself in a project this extraordinary."
Nava spent three years creating the 25 tapestries of 136 saints hanging =
in the cavernous cathedral. The entire process, from start to finish, =
can be seen in a special exhibit at Studio Channel Islands from Sunday =
until March 16.
"This is huge," said Donna Granata, co-director of the show. "It will be =
one of the largest exhibits of its kind.''
The show will feature dozens of portraits, line drawings and tapestries =
done by Nava as he slowly honed in on just the right colors, patterns =
and proportions for his subjects. The finished work, called "The =
Communion of Saints," is a collection of fresco-like tapestries that put =
modern faces on some of Christendom's most revered figures.
Aided by a casting director, Nava scoured Ojai and surrounding areas for =
the perfect face for each saint. In painting the saints who came later =
in the church's history, he drew upon historical records for details of =
their appearance. For earlier saints, he relied on gut feeling.
He chose his model for John the Baptist on the strength of Ojai potter =
Richard Keit's "wonderful, soulful face." For St. Francis Xavier, he =
picked Mad magazine cartoonist Sergio Aragones, tousling his hair a bit =
to give him a holier look. Koch's high forehead and prominent nose made =
him a natural for St. Nicholas, Nava said.
The saints run the gamut of races and ethnicities, a fitting tribute to =
the diversity of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with 5 =
million parishioners speaking 42 languages.
"I would say, 'Look, we need an Asian 12-year-old boy or a 30-year-old =
woman who is Lebanese,' and the casting director would go into Ojai and =
look," Nava said. "But we had people from all over the world model. I =
wanted them to look like modern people dressed like saints. That is the =
historical tradition, people in the paintings looked like those using =
the church."
Some people aggressively lobbied to be saints, though they were a =
minority.
"A lot of people who modeled were extremely devout," said Nava, who was =
raised Catholic. "Most of the time they did not know what saint they =
would be, but most were thrilled to be included."
After photos were taken, Nava painted intricate, individual portraits of =
the faces and hands of his subjects. He worked seven days a week, =
turning out 136 paintings in 20 months. His models ranged in age from 3 =
months to more than 90 years.
At least 48 of these portraits will be on exhibit at the upcoming show
Nava, a 55-year-old painter with no previous tapestry experience, put =
the images of his final product into e-mail form and sent them to a =
weaving company in the small Belgian town of Wielsbeke. The images were =
downloaded into a computer and the tapestries were woven from 16 colors =
of thread.
Some early failures are part of the exhibit. The first tapestry had =
saints with almost no color in their faces. One sported a purple beard. =
Contrasts in skin colors were rough and jarring. Faces lacked definition =
and heads were elongated.
Nava went through 160 test tapestries before getting the images he =
wanted on the cotton and synthetic fiber. It took just 45 days to weave =
the tapestries, a job experts say would have taken 20 years to do by =
hand. The average tapestry is 7 feet long and 20 feet wide.
Unlike many examples of modern art, Nava said, his goal wasn't to create =
a bleak view of humanity.
"I felt like this was getting in touch with the ancient meaning of art," =
he said. "Art back to the cave walls has always been connected to the =
spiritual life. Our work went in and people reacted so emotionally to =
it, they were weeping. You never see people react to your work like that =
in an art gallery."
The experience moved Nava, too. "It was beautiful to be able to work in =
that world for three years. It changed the way I thought about things."
The first exhibit of the test tapestries was held last month at the =
Judson Gallery in Los Angeles, but this show will be much larger.
When the exhibit ends, Granata said, the material will go into the =
archives of the archdiocese and probably will not come out again for =
years.
"It will be the last exhibit of its kind," she said.=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Bodhikt@aol.com=20
To: groop@groo.com=20
Sent: Saturday, February 08, 2003 3:15 PM
Subject: Re: [Groop]Saint Sergio
In a message dated 2/8/2003 12:12:13 AM Pacific Standard Time, =
mail@evanier.com writes:
=
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-nava7feb07,1,1133788.stor=
y
Well.... the link takes me to a page to register; I filled out the =
info, then when I hit the "submit" button, I got a page saying that =
the URL is invalid.....
Is there more in the article about St. Sergio than you have on POV?
Kaytee
http://www.eclecticbeadery.com/simplexities.html
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/simplexities=20
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<DIV>
<H4>Hi Folks!</H4>
<DIV>For those of you having trouble hooking up to the article, here it=20
is. Also, for no good reason whatsoever, here is a link to a short =
bio of=20
St Francis Xavier. -Gary G. </DIV>
<H4>VENTURA COUNTY</H4>
<H1>A Religious Experience for Local Models</H1>
<H2>Inspiration is found close to home for faces of saints depicted in=20
tapestries created by an Ojai artist for the new Los Angeles =
cathedral.</H2>By=20
David Kelly<BR>Times Staff Writer<BR><BR>February 7 2003<BR><BR>Being =
friends=20
with Ojai artist John Nava has its rewards. For Gerd Koch, it meant that =
his=20
deeply lined, expressive face was put on a 20-foot-high image of St. =
Nicholas=20
and hung in the enormous new cathedral in downtown Los =
Angeles.<BR><BR>Barring=20
some catastrophe, Koch's saintly visage will likely stare down from the =
walls of=20
Our Lady of the Angels for 500 years.<BR><BR>"I was overwhelmed," said =
Koch, 74,=20
co-founder of Studio Channel Islands Art Center at Cal State Channel =
Islands in=20
Camarillo. "It gives you shivers to see yourself in a project this=20
extraordinary."<BR><BR>Nava spent three years creating the 25 tapestries =
of 136=20
saints hanging in the cavernous cathedral. The entire process, from =
start to=20
finish, can be seen in a special exhibit at Studio Channel Islands from =
Sunday=20
until March 16.<BR><BR>"This is huge," said Donna Granata, co-director =
of the=20
show. "It will be one of the largest exhibits of its kind.''<BR><BR>The =
show=20
will feature dozens of portraits, line drawings and tapestries done by =
Nava as=20
he slowly honed in on just the right colors, patterns and proportions =
for his=20
subjects. The finished work, called "The Communion of Saints," is a =
collection=20
of fresco-like tapestries that put modern faces on some of Christendom's =
most=20
revered figures.<BR><BR>Aided by a casting director, Nava scoured Ojai =
and=20
surrounding areas for the perfect face for each saint. In painting the =
saints=20
who came later in the church's history, he drew upon historical records =
for=20
details of their appearance. For earlier saints, he relied on gut=20
feeling.<BR><BR>He chose his model for John the Baptist on the strength =
of Ojai=20
potter Richard Keit's "wonderful, soulful face." For St. Francis Xavier, =
he=20
picked Mad magazine cartoonist Sergio Aragones, tousling his hair a bit =
to give=20
him a holier look. Koch's high forehead and prominent nose made him a =
natural=20
for St. Nicholas, Nava said.<BR><BR>The saints run the gamut of races =
and=20
ethnicities, a fitting tribute to the diversity of the Roman Catholic=20
Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with 5 million parishioners speaking 42=20
languages.<BR><BR>"I would say, 'Look, we need an Asian 12-year-old boy =
or a=20
30-year-old woman who is Lebanese,' and the casting director would go =
into Ojai=20
and look," Nava said. "But we had people from all over the world model. =
I wanted=20
them to look like modern people dressed like saints. That is the =
historical=20
tradition, people in the paintings looked like those using the=20
church."<BR><BR>Some people aggressively lobbied to be saints, though =
they were=20
a minority.<BR><BR>"A lot of people who modeled were extremely devout," =
said=20
Nava, who was raised Catholic. "Most of the time they did not know what =
saint=20
they would be, but most were thrilled to be included."<BR><BR>After =
photos were=20
taken, Nava painted intricate, individual portraits of the faces and =
hands of=20
his subjects. He worked seven days a week, turning out 136 paintings in =
20=20
months. His models ranged in age from 3 months to more than 90 =
years.<BR><BR>At=20
least 48 of these portraits will be on exhibit at the upcoming =
show<BR><BR>Nava,=20
a 55-year-old painter with no previous tapestry experience, put the =
images of=20
his final product into e-mail form and sent them to a weaving company in =
the=20
small Belgian town of Wielsbeke. The images were downloaded into a =
computer and=20
the tapestries were woven from 16 colors of thread.<BR><BR>Some early =
failures=20
are part of the exhibit. The first tapestry had saints with almost no =
color in=20
their faces. One sported a purple beard. Contrasts in skin colors were =
rough and=20
jarring. Faces lacked definition and heads were elongated.<BR><BR>Nava =
went=20
through 160 test tapestries before getting the images he wanted on the =
cotton=20
and synthetic fiber. It took just 45 days to weave the tapestries, a job =
experts=20
say would have taken 20 years to do by hand. The average tapestry is 7 =
feet long=20
and 20 feet wide.<BR><BR>Unlike many examples of modern art, Nava said, =
his goal=20
wasn't to create a bleak view of humanity.<BR><BR>"I felt like this was =
getting=20
in touch with the ancient meaning of art," he said. "Art back to the =
cave walls=20
has always been connected to the spiritual life. Our work went in and =
people=20
reacted so emotionally to it, they were weeping. You never see people =
react to=20
your work like that in an art gallery."<BR><BR>The experience moved =
Nava, too.=20
"It was beautiful to be able to work in that world for three years. It =
changed=20
the way I thought about things."<BR><BR>The first exhibit of the test =
tapestries=20
was held last month at the Judson Gallery in Los Angeles, but this show =
will be=20
much larger.<BR><BR>When the exhibit ends, Granata said, the material =
will go=20
into the archives of the archdiocese and probably will not come out =
again for=20
years.<BR><BR>"It will be the last exhibit of its kind," she said. =
</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3DBodhikt@aol.com =
href=3D"mailto:Bodhikt@aol.com">Bodhikt@aol.com</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=3Dgroop@groo.com=20
href=3D"mailto:groop@groo.com">groop@groo.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, February 08, =
2003 3:15=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Groop]Saint =
Sergio</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT lang=3D0 =
face=3D"Comic Sans MS"=20
size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SCRIPT">In a message dated 2/8/2003 12:12:13 AM =
Pacific=20
Standard Time, <A =
href=3D"mailto:mail@evanier.com">mail@evanier.com</A>=20
writes:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
TYPE=3D"CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff" face=3DArial=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-nava7feb07,1,1133=
788.story">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-nava7feb07,1,1=
133788.story</A><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT=20
lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=3D"Comic Sans MS" =
color=3D#000000=20
size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SCRIPT">Well.... the link takes me to a page to =
register; I=20
filled out the info, then when I hit the "submit" button, I =
got a=20
page saying that the URL is invalid.....<BR><BR>Is there more in the =
article=20
about St. Sergio than you have on POV?<BR><BR>Kaytee<BR><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.eclecticbeadery.com/simplexities.html">http://www.ecle=
cticbeadery.com/simplexities.html</A><BR></FONT><FONT=20
lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=3DArial =
color=3D#0000ff size=3D2=20
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.rubylane.com/shops/simplexities">http://www.rubylane.c=
om/shops/simplexities</A>=20
<BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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